hedge one's bets
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
To reduce risk by taking multiple opposing positions
Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt
giảm rủi ro bằng cách lấy nhiều vị trí đối lập
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Literally: surround a bet with a hedge
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
I'm investing in both companies to hedge my bets
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-31; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “hedge one's bets” mean?
To reduce risk by taking multiple opposing positions Literally: surround a bet with a hedge
Is “hedge one's bets” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.